Have Itch, Will Travel

When traveling for an extended period, it is wise to ensure your  health  checks are up to date. See your local doctor for a general check up, pap smear, mole check, mammogram, colonoscopy, or whatever may be due before you go. Schedule a visit to your  dentist  for a routine check and clean to protect yourself from preventable aches in a country where there may be limited services. I recommend doing this months before you leave to allow time for any fillings that may be required. Part of being careful and looking after yourself while you are overseas includes  vaccinations  relevant for the part of the world you will be visiting. Here are some useful websites on vaccinations: Vaccine Information  by the  Immunization Action Coalition Travelers' Health  by the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Now, A List Routine  vaccines are the ones you had as a child. Common ones: chickenpox  (varicella) polio measles, mumps and rubella ( MMR ) diphtheria, pertussis

Most people call it the Swine Flu and unless you've been living under a rock for the last week or two, you'll know about it. In fact, the media tells us that you should probably go back under your rock with stock piles of tinned vegetables, cocktail franks and probably sardines too, because they also say that Omega oils are good for you. So the story goes that it started in Mexico , where many people have died from it, mostly children. A few travellers who visited Mexico have taken it to the UK and other places, and have subsequently been quarantined by the respective governments. It has spread down to Colombia, up to the States, and rumour has it, as far as Canada where it has returned to its home in their porcine population. The Mexican medical authorities deny that it originated from them because lab results trace the viral DNA to a mix of North American and Asian strains. So now borders across the planet are shut or at least have greater restrictions on entry. The vir